Take a proven winner of a concept, pair that with one of the best casts a TV show ever had - including Harvey Keitel and an almost unrecognizable (except for that distinctive voice) Michael Imperioli - and what do you get? A flopping fish gasping for air on the shore.

The problem? The UK version of Life on Mars effortlessly integrates the time travel / fish out of water idea but the American version uses the concept as a pretense to hang the weekly storyline on. Trouble is, the crimes that make up each episode are just not that interesting.

The guest stars on each episode are tip top, with some of my favorite actors from The Wire and Rescue Me appearing, but without inventive scripts the whole affair is an exercise in futility. The only elements that worked here were lifted directly from the British version.

Part way through the season the producers started adding some Lost-like music cues to give you the idea that more is going on there really is.

Life on Mars is a leaden, dead-weight of a show that ignores 1973 consciousness in favor of top 40 tunes and the less flamboyant fashions of the time.

A Black liberation group kidnaps two NYC police officers, lets them go and there's no retaliation? This is the era of counterintelpro, where even peaceful Black Panther leaders were killed in their beds by cops, I don't think so! A pirate radio station operating within the city confines and it can't be found? Right.

Watching the British version, I couldn't find one discrepancy - maybe that's because I didn't grow up there (I did live there for a while) but even the 1970's decor doesn't feel right here. Whereas the BBC series has a ring of truth to it, right down to the wallpaper and drapes, the yankee production looks like it was shot in a New Jersey thrift store.

I mean, if Mad Men can get the sixties right the seventies should be easy peasy. Then again, Mad Men works because the specificity of the year they're operating in is baked into the cake not smeared across the top; 1973 seems to be an afterthought on Life on Mars.

I say this with a heavy heart because I was really looking forward to this DVD release, I love almost any movie or TV series that concerns time travel. Thank goodness a working version of Life on Mars lives on in Great Britain.

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
From the studio that brought you Lost, comes the groundbreaking series that captured the imaginations of fans from coast to coast. With an irresistible soundtrack and one of the most celebrated casts on television, including Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol and Jason O Mara, Life On Mars is a smart, suspenseful drama with a finish that will blow you away. Its one of those endings I believe will make you watch the series again, says Executive Producer Josh Appelbaum. There s a fine line between delusion and reality. NYPD detective Sam Tyler finds himself walking both sides of that line when he is suddenly hurtled back in time to 1973 after being struck by a car in 2008.

Journey back to the 70s and uncover the secrets of Life On Mars. It s a strange and exhilarating ride raves the New York Times. Plus, with unique and exciting bonus features including an insiders view of where the shows concept began, a six million dollar moment in which 1970s legend Lee Majors steps back into the past with the cast and crew, and much more

Bonus Features Include: Time Warp, The Joint, Getting Their Groove On, Lee Majors Six Million Dollar Man.

Product Description
The time-warping detective series seen on BBC America

Dreaming, delusional, or displaced in time? Police detective Sam Tyler (John Simm, State of Play) must decide which describes him in this intriguing twist on the police procedural that has won two International Emmys® and rave reviews from critics and fans.

Hot on a killer’s trail in modern-day Manchester, Tyler gets struck by a passing car and wakes up in 1973. The high-tech tools and respect for proper procedure have vanished. Instead, he finds himself working on a homicide squad where hard drinking replaces hard thinking; forensics takes weeks to analyze; and his boss, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, Cranford), has no qualms about roughing up suspects--or Sam himself. Still, Tyler has real-world crimes to solve, even as strange voices call him back to his 21st century life. But when he bonds with sympathetic policewoman Annie Cartwright (Liz White, The Fixer), Sam wonders: does he really want to return?

SPECIAL FEATURES:|
Audio commentaries for every episode with cast and crew
"Take a Look at the Lawman," an hour-long documentary with cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Interview clip with director Bharat Nalluri
"The Music of Life on Mars" featurette with composer Ed Butt
"Get Sykes" featurette with production designer Brian Sykes
Outtakes reel